Last.



No. l3731,390.

UNITED STATES atented J' une 16, 1903'.

I ATENT OFFICE.

JOHN ST. AMAND, OF BROOKTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO WILLIAM B. ARNOLD, OF NORTH ABINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

LAST..

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 731,390, dated June 16, 1903. Application tiled December 3l, 1897. Serial No. 6641942. (No model.)

T0 @ZZ whom it may con/cerrar Be it known that I, JOHN ST. AMAND, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, residing at Brockton, county of Plymouth, State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Lasts, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawing, is a specification, like letters on the drawing representing like parts. j,

In the manufacture of shoes, particularly of the finer grades of shoes, the hinged last is rapidly supplanting the old styles of multipart lasts, and in the process of manufacture, as is well known, the lasts are subjected to enormous pressure, at times tending to break or pull ont the hinged joint, and i therefore requiring that the hinge should be fastened in the last in an extremely secure manner. Accordingly I have invented the construction hereinafter more f nlly set forth, in which the last is provided with pockets or recesses cut into the solid material thereof, in which is embedded a hinge-like connection which has a positive strong grip into the wood or other lmaterial of the last, so that the joint or hingelike connection cannot pullout endwise without pulling a portion of the last material with it.

In general terms my invention may be said to consist of a last having a heel part and a toe part, each provided with a recess having at a portion of its length within the body or mass of the material an oset extending laterally at a sharp angle from the general direction of the recess, combined with a connecting device for connecting said heel part and toe part together, said device corresponding in general shape to the respective recesses and having one or more laterally-extending portions adjacent each of `its ends to extend in and be retained by the offsets prepared therefor.

The details of my invention will be more fully understood in the course of the following description, reference being had to the The last, which may be of any usual or preferred kind or pattern, is herein shown as one type of multipart last, having a toe part A and heel part B, properly cut away at a vin order that the heel part may be turned relatively to the toe part. As herein shown, the heel part and toe part of the last are hinged together at c, the toe part having a recess a', provided with two offsets a2 a3, and the heel part having a similar recess b, provided with two opposite osets b b2. Within these recesses are embedded the opposite ends of a hinge-like connection D, said ends being pivoted together on a pintle Cl and being herein shown as each comprising leaves d', said leaves having at their ends outwardly-extending portions or flanges d2 d3, corresponding in shape to, and filling, the olfsets of the recesses, said flanges extending laterally at a sharp angle to the general direction of the connection D, the angles herein shown being right angles, although it will be understood that they might be bent at a more acute angle still, if desired, andalso that one of them, either at the top or bottom of either or both ends, might be omitted, in which case, of course, the corresponding offset of the recess or recesses would be omitted.

One main advantage of my invention over the previously proposed constructions of which I am aware is that by having a later'- ally-extending portion projecting at a sharp angle from the body of the hinge or connection and embedded solidly in the mass of material composing the last a far superior strength and rigidity against longitudinal strain is secured, for the portions d2 d3 of the connection grip into the material of the last and cling directly against a solid supportingshoulder thereof, so that before the hinge or` IOO lateral projections from the hinge or connection.

Having thus prepared recesses in the respectve parts of the last corresponding in shape to the hinge connection which is to be inserted, I irremovably secure or embed the hinge or connection in the last. A snug t is preferred; but it will be evident that the t of the hinge in the last may be as tight or loose as desired, this depending upon the cutting of the recesses.

Reduced to its simplest form or elements my invention resides in movably joining the parts of `a divided last by a horizontal connection having adjacent one end a transverse iiange or projection extending laterally at a sharp angle from the main part of the connection and embedded in the body of the last, it being in practice convenient and advantageous to dispose the connection iiatwise horizontally in the last and provide it with a pintle or regular hinge at the adjacent faces of ythe relatively movable parts, as shown, each of the end portions of the connection having one or both ofthe sharply-bent, fiat, or plane flanges embedded in the material of the rcspe'ctive parts of the last,as already described, the wood of the last coming flat against the fiange or flanges on both sides thereof.

A la'st constructed according to my invention offers great resistance to longitudinal strains, the pockets or recesses cooperating with 'the hinges to provide a positive strong grip, because of the sharp angle, preferably a right angle, which the flanges of the hinge present at their junction with the leaf or leaves composing that part of the hinge and the corresponding shape of the recess in the wood, ywhich abuts and braces against the back side of the Hat ange, as well as offering a buttres's or resistance-ledge against the flat front face'of the said flange. By having a at parallel-sided offset extending from said recess-ata portion of its length within the body or mass of the material, said offset extending at a-sharp angle from the general direction of the recess, and by having the angle of the flange `of the hinge the same and the shape of said flange the same, so as to fit tightly and snugly in said offset, a firm and extremely tenacious grip is secured and wedging action is prevented. The flanges extend from the body or leaves of the hinge at a sharp angle of ninety degrees or less therewith, offering a very powerful resistance to longitudinal strains, the longitudinal pull being thereby distributed over the whole section of the malterial included by the flanges and all the pulling strain coming directly in longitudinal line with the hinge without any lateral movement or splitting tendency.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secu re by Letters Patent, is-

1. A multipart last, comprising a toe part and a heel part adapted to turn up or pivot on each other, and provided with alined, horizontal recesses extending longitudinally of the last back in opposite directions from the said pivotal region into the mass of material composing the last parts, and each recess having an offset with parallel at sides extending laterally therefrom in a plane at a sharp angle to its general direction, and a iiexible connection embedded within said toe and heel parts, said connection substantially lling said recesses and having laterally-extending flanges projecting at a sharp angle to the body of the connection into and retained by said offsets.

2. A multipart last, comprising atoe part and a heel part, each provided with a horizontal recess extending from the same point in the meeting faces of said parts back into the respective last part, said recesses terminating at their ends within said last parts each in a narrow slit-like offset extending substantially at right angles to the general length of the recess and on both sides thereof, and a flexible connection embedded within said toe part and heel part, said connection conforming in shape and substantially filling said recesses, and having at its ends pairs of laterally-extending flanges projecting at a sharp angle to the body of the connection into and retained by said offsets.

3. A multipartlast having the parts thereof movably joined by a flexible connection perd manently secured horizontally in said parts, said connection adjacent one end having a ltransverse parallel-sided, plane, thin, narrow flange extending laterally therefrom at a sharp angle, and embedded within the material of that part of the last,.said material inclosing the same in direct contact therewith at all points, including both sides of said flange.

IOC

In testimony whereof- I have signed my i name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN ST. AMAND. Witnesses:

ELI E. GURNEY, OSCAR HEATH. 

